Swartberg fire moves away from infrastructure after wind change
Firefighters are still battling a fire in the Swartberg Mountains near Oudtshoorn, although authorities say the blaze is considerably calmer.
Firefighters are battling a mountain fire in Oudtshoorn on 30 December 2024. Picture: Greater Oudtshoorn Municipality/Facebook
CAPE TOWN - Firefighters are still battling a fire in the Swartberg Mountains near Oudtshoorn, although authorities say the blaze is considerably calmer.
The Garden Route District Municipality fire chief, Deon Stoffels, said that the fire, which started on Monday afternoon, had now moved away from infrastructure and buildings.
He said this was a result of a change in the wind direction.
"The fire is looking much better than yesterday afternoon, this is the Swartberg Mountain fires. We the district municipality's managing the fire with Cape Nature and then obviously our partners, Working on the Fire and Oudtshoorn's local municipality. At this stage, the fire's burning up mountain away from infrastructure."
Stoffels added that firefighters would stay onsite to make sure the inferno was contained.
"We will not say that the fire is contained, but the fire is relatively calm at this stage. We have resources placed on the head of the fire, which we call the eastern flank of the fire, the north and southeastern and the northeastern flank is in the mountain, so we can't really access it."